Summary:

SHADOWBOXER is an independent thriller about a young African-American hit man whose terminally ill, older white girlfriend decides to save the life of an evil crime lord's wife. SHADOWBOXER is a quirky thriller about the effects of violence and mortality on the human psyche, but it is hardly redemptive and contains strong violence, foul language, sex, and brief nudity.

Review:

SHADOWBOXER stars Cuba Gooding, Jr., as Mikey, a young hit man who saw his dead father beat his mother at a young age and has now taken up with his father's white mistress, Rose, played by Helen Mirren. When a brutal crime boss wants his wife, Vickie, dead, Rose has a change of heart when they find she's pregnant. Rose's terminal cancer has given her a different perspective on life. Mikey, however, is not enthralled with Rose's decision not to kill the pregnant woman.

Rose and Mikey spirit Vickie away, and the three begin a harrowing life on the run. Rose finally succumbs to cancer. Mikey eventually transfers his affection to the pretty young woman and her young son. Violence is the only way he knows how to protect them from the crime boss, but it has an enduring effect on Vickie's son.

SHADOWBOXER is a quirky thriller about the effects of violence and mortality on the human psyche. Thus, it has more on its mind than just thrills. Even so, the personal sexual dynamics in the movie are offensive. For one thing, Rose is old enough to be Mikey's mother. The movie doesn't pick up their love affair until they're adults, but it leads to uncomfortable speculation about what happened when Rose had to take care of young Mikey after his father died. Also, the movie's violence and foul language are over-the-top.

According to the filmmakers in the movie's production notes, SHADOWBOXER is trying to tell a story about love and redemption, but the final scenes suggest that, if you live by the sword, you can never escape the effect of violence. That is an important point to make about the negative effects of violence, but it's hardly redemptive.

First-time director Lee Daniels, an up-and-coming African-American entrepreneur, definitely has filmmaking talent. His distribution company, Lee Daniels Entertainment, has yet, however, to market a truly redemptive or family-friendly movie. In fact, the company's previous two releases were MONSTER'S BALL and THE WOODSMAN, neither of which MOVIEGUIDE(r) recommended.

In Brief:

SHADOWBOXER stars Cuba Gooding, Jr., as Mikey, a young hit man who has taken up with his long dead father's white mistress, Rose, played by Helen Mirren. A brutal crime boss hires Mikey and Rose to kill his wife, Vickie, but Rose has a change of heart when they find Vickie is pregnant. Rose's terminal cancer has changed her perspective on life. Rose and Mikey spirit Vickie away, and the three begin a harrowing life on the run. Rose succumbs to cancer. Mikey eventually transfers his affection to Vickie and her young son. Violence is the only way he knows how to protect them. This has an enduring effect on Vickie's son.

SHADOWBOXER is a quirky thriller about the effects of violence and mortality on the human psyche. Thus, it has more on its mind than just thrills. Even so, the personal sexual dynamics in the movie are offensive. For one thing, Rose is old enough to be Mikey's mother. Also, the movie's violence and foul language are over-the-top. According to the filmmakers, SHADOWBOXER is trying to tell a story about love and redemption, but the final scenes are hardly redemptive.